A touch of dissent

Thursday, May 2, 2013

The band announced via Facebook on Thursday. Hanneman, who had been taking a break from the band to recover from an illness that affected his liver, died of liver failure, according to the announcement.

“Slayer is devastated to inform that their band mate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11AM this morning near his Southern California home. He was 49. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry, and will be sorely missed.”“As you know, Jeff was bitten by a spider more than a year ago, but what you may not have known was that for a couple of days after he went to the ER, things were touch-and-go. There was talk that he might have to have his arm amputated, and we didn't know if he was going to pull through at all. He was in a medically-induced coma for a few days and had several operations to remove the dead and dying tissue from his arm. So, understand, he was in really, really bad shape...”

* In the July 1998 issue of Guitar World magazine, on page 196, Jeff Hanneman of the band Slayer is mentioned by the writer of the interview as being atheist.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

I read a story about 4 years ago about a couple in Pennsylvania who prayed
their child to death. Herbert and Catherine Schaible were given ten years of probation after
this faith healing incident in 2009. The most important condition of that probation was to seek medical care for their remaining children.

Once again they have allowed their fundamentalism to get in the way of taking action. They lost their 8-month-old son, Brandon, last week after he suffered from diarrhea and breathing problems for at least a week, and stopped eating. Prayer working to no avail once again.

These situations are only made possible by fundamentalist religion. So if anyone is ever wondering how people get to an atheistic worldview here is a perfect example. Fairy tales do not make good guides to real life.

Monday, April 8, 2013

I have watched many debates between theologians and atheist scholars. These debates, although not always changing minds, do open the minds of both sides. This is beneficial to both sides of the argument, it softens the atheist to an understanding p.o.v., while giving the theist a perspective from outside the "bubble". I originally was a Catholic and converted to Baptist during these moments I was surrounded by teachers and authority figures whose word I trusted... Until I began asking questions that is. I asked my pastor one day; "When we go to heaven will we remember our life here?" His answer to put it bluntly was "NO". This was the moment I was introduced to debate. I asked him "why would god put us through this life just to have us forget it?" He could not answer my question without saying "It is gods plan" and that I needed to "pray to god for the answers". That was the conversation that started my journey toward realization. 10000 religions and 1000 gods later, I have made my decision that these gods and religions are all man made.

"Exactly what you would expect to see from a primate species" - Christopher Hitchens

Since the first humans ran into each other after a few thousand years of change we have been at war. Technology, historical records and information have changed the face of our planet. We evolved ourselves by changing our environment to suit our needs. In less than 150 years we have evolved our environment faster than our evolutionary process ever could have adapted us naturally.

The point I am getting to is humans are still animals. We still have the same aggressive nature, territorial obsessions and sexual tendencies as our cousin species. Although we have created a society we still live in a tribal mindset. Our large numbers create large and small offshoot groups with different beliefs. Skin color was one of the first types of noticeable difference. Now we have politics religion and other unnecessary group think situations. People need to have something or someone to follow. Occasionally an individual or a group of people take advantage of these "follower types".

Propaganda machines control large masses of people into believing things that are unlikely and unreasonable. "People are literally being programmed" These top down hierarchies are terrible for societal progress, especially if the top group is considered infallible. Natural segregation is occurring, mostly in major cities with heavy urban population. More and more people with more and more differences is a recipe for war. We have small wars that take place "tribal like" gang violence. Larger groups are involved in political or religious wars. The wars on drugs, terror, thought, free enterprise and religion are all superficial. What lies beneath is good old fashioned bigotry and hatred. Traditions holding on by a thread. I am sorry but repeating history is kind of out of style these days.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson has been a voice for conservative Christianity for some time now. Pat has made many controversial statements throughout his career things like:

1. About Haitian earthquake... "It may be a blessing in disguise. ... Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. Haitians were originally under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon the third, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, we will serve you if you will get us free from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, okay it's a deal. Ever since they have been cursed by one thing after the other." –Pat Robertson

2. About women..."I know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband. Christ is the head of the household and the husband is the head of the wife, and that's the way it is, period." –Pat Robertson

3. About gays in Disney "I would warn Orlando that you're right in the way of some serious hurricanes, and I don't think I'd be waving those flags in God's face if I were you, This is not a message of hate -- this is a message of redemption. But a condition like this will bring about the destruction of your nation. It'll bring about terrorist bombs; it'll bring earthquakes, tornadoes, and possibly a meteor." –Pat Robertson

So god does not provide miracles based on intelligence now. I always thought it was a simple as miracles don't actually happen. Well this guy is so full of great informative assumptions based on dogmatic speculation that I find myself unable to deny this awesome logic... NOT

With education comes less miracles is definitely a true statement but not for the reasons "Pat" describes. We know more and can actually answer real questions now using real science Patty boy, so we don't recognize claims unless they are tested and proven. That's why miracles happen less here, we just don't believe the bullshit stories people make up as they go along. If anything hallucinations may occur and regression to the mean situations may take place. For example: if someone is being treated for cancer by a doctor and that cancer eventually recedes IT WAS THE DOCTOR AND THE MEDS! not a miracle.